My Story
Hello!
I'm the Commonwealth's Attorney for the City of Richmond, Virginia. I was elected in November 2019 and sworn into office in January 2020, just a few months before the Covid-19 pandemic began.
I was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado, but following my parents' active duty U.S . Army service, I grew up as the oldest of four children in Connecticut. I graduated from Brown University, worked in Boston for a few years, and then attended the University of Virginia School of Law. I had thought about becoming a public school teacher, like my mother, but I decided that I could also help people by becoming a lawyer. I met my husband, Donald, while we both were in law school, and we have three adult children. After graduation, I worked for civil law firms in Atlanta and in Richmond before joining the Richmond Commonwealth's Attorney's Office.
As a public servant, it has been a privilege to be the voice for children who were sexually abused and for women who suffered domestic violence; for small local business owners who were the victims of theft or burglaries that devastated their livelihood; and for victims of violent crimes including rape, robbery, and murder. As a Sector Prosecutor for more than 10 years, I have been actively involved with various neighborhood associations and community groups throughout Richmond. Recognizing the need to address the root causes of criminal behavior, I worked with other city stakeholders to create one of the first Mental Health dockets in the state in 2011. Prosecutors have a duty to consider both the victim and the offender and to use our discretion to create equitable and proportional sanctions that will allow an offender to redress harm and also to successfully reintegrate into our community.
As a member of the Richmond community and the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office for more than 25 years, I have served on a number of professional and civic organizations, including the Hill Tucker Bar Association, the Criminal Law Section of the Virginia State Bar and the Board of Visitors for Virginia Commonwealth University. I have lived, worked and raised my family in the Richmond area and I promise to continue that work --- to provide justice for all those who call Richmond home.
